I thought that you terminate the real svhost.exe.when the application terminates windows will shutdown with in 1 minute. You can kill the virus by using "Avg antivirus 7.5 pro"or" Nod32 antivirus".I tried this and it was a succes.

What I did to solve this problem is to go to System Restore ( Start > Accesories > System Tools > System Restore ) and restore your system to about 3-5 days before you noticed this , it worked for me =)

I seem to be having the same issue as mentioned here. I went to msconfig already to try and disable some new items I loaded recently (i.e. hp printer monitor services) but that didn't seem to help. When I first login, if I go ahead and kill the svchost.exe file, I immediately see a drop on the cpu. It would appear that my machine is still working OK for the things I need most (i.e. Outlook, MS Project, etc.) Meanwhile I can also see additional svchost.exe processes running. Is there a way in the msconfig to see which startup processes are created as a svchost.exe? Thanks

Downloaded the tool and was able to isolate the svchost.exe as an hp network device support process that had been installed recently along with a new printer. Turned it off in the msconfig area and now the cpu is way down! Thanks for the tip!

Hi this problem is a mix of 2 problems, one a virus, but more likely a problem with windown auto update, which you should uninstall/reinstall. Apart from that but ErrorSmart for about 20 USD run it to fix registry problems, and if that doesnt work, sign on for their online tech chat, and they are very good, using a number of other apps like SmitFraudFix, ComboFix, it fixed my problem after a few hours. BTW this product is better than regcure.

This is my First Post. I had the same issue as SVCHOST 100% utilization issue. After tried, downloaded the patch (WindowsXP-KB927891-v3-x86-ENU) it doesn't solve the issue.
After reading most of the threads I found most of the issue appears when they tries to access internet, so I just did
>> Right click on connection which I am using (Wireless Network Connection)
>> Repair.
It automatically solved my issue and my system is now working fine :)

SVCHOST.exe (Services Host) is a front end service, each instance controlling functions such as copy and past, open link in new window and so on .. there will be several instances of services host running on any NT based system, in the case of both XP and Vista where this service tops out CPU usage please download support.microsoft.com/kb/927891 from Microsoft or disable automatic updates, either will fix the problem. the thread priority as mentioned in other replies cannot be controlled and it should never be removed from the start up list!

Don't disable it!
An application is at fault.
This is is process which runs dlls as applications. You will have a horrible time if you disable this! A dll is basically a code bucket and svchost is using it to run many system things. What other applications are opened? What other services are using a lot of CPU time?
Never just go disabling processes. Try blackviper.com to slim your processes (a good list) (this is not a plug, wait it is).

Don't disable it!
An application is at fault.
This is is process which runs dlls as applications. You will have a horrible time if you disable this! A dll is basically a code bucket and svchost is using it to run many system things. What other applications are opened? What other services are using a lot of CPU time?
Never just go disabling processes. Try blackviper.com to slim your processes (a good list) (this is not a plug, wait it is).

Yes, you're completely right that you could disable them. It's probably not the right move, but you can. (oh I see, I was talking about the svchost svc!) reassurance helps sometimes.
If you start up in safe-mode does the problem still occur? If so then not the differences in launched services and de-activate and check in normal boot mode using the half-cut method.
EX:
Re-enable half. Is it fixed still? Yes, re-enable half of the other half, did that break it? Yes, you can now narrow it down more, take half of those and enable them, did it break? Yes, take half... Etc
Find the service at fault then post back.

Hi,
I've also been struggling with the problem of SVCHOST usurping 100% of my CPU - I tried many of the typical listed solutions like disabling windows update etc, installing the microsoft fix etc, all to no avail. However, I just found the culprit process that was responsible - it was none other than DNSCACHE !
First, you need to know the Process ID (PID) of the troublesome process - this is done using good ol' Task Manager (assuming you have already enabled the PID column from 'view columns' from the "view/select columns" menu bar, whilst on the PROCESSES Tab)

Using the command "Tasklist /SVC" from CMD Prompt, I was able to match the PID of the problem SVCHOST process to object that was using it - in my case, it was DNSCACHE. What I guess was occurring was that after every start-up, when trying to connect to internet, DNSCACHE 1st wanted to update - this could take quite some time in some instances, and as I've discovered, was completely un-neccessary. The fix was to STOP the DNSCACHE service, then set it to DISABLED, all within LOCAL SERVICES. Problem is now gone, and internet access is fully functional. Hope this is of some help to others with similar problem.

•Visit the Microsoft website and Download Windows Update v3 WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe and save it to your C:\ drive
•Download this file fix_svchost.bat (right click and choose save as..) and save it to your C:\ drive
•Download this file WindowsXP-KB927891.exe (right click and choose save as..) and save it to your C:\ drive
•Reboot the computer and log in to Windows XP in safe mode. To do this, press F8 just before the WindowsXP logo shows up during boot and press up to choose “Safe Mode”
•Once Windows has loaded and you have the option of which user account to use, log on as “Administrator”.
•Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the fix_svchost.bat file you saved before, press Open, then OK.
•A black screen will pop up and white text will scroll past. Wait for this process to finish as it could take several minutes. It will close itself when its finished.
•Once the black screen disappears, Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe file you saved before, press Open, then OK. Follow the prompts as it installs.
•When Windows Update Agent finishes installing, Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the WindowsXP-KB927891.exe file you saved before, press Open, then OK. Follow the prompts as it installs.
•Reboot the computer

Normal this is caused by a virus or spyware problem. I would recommend running an antivirus software in safe mode and seem whats comes up. Also if you attach a hijackthis log we might be able to help you more.

Hi,
Anyone know about the svchost.exe problem in wich the proces svchost.exe uses 100% of the cpu? :'( Ending this process leads to sound failures, automatic reboots etc. :(
Not ending it leaves the comp slow ofcourse. Comp worked fine before. This svchost.exe problem showed up out of nowhere and now I don't know how to stop it from using my entire cpu. Anyone have any idea? :-\ Thanx.

Use this fix for home computers and/or home networks only:

Go to Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services and then highlight the DNS Client - Right Click and "Disable" this service. All should be well.

Hi,
I've also been struggling with the problem of SVCHOST usurping 100% of my CPU - I tried many of the typical listed solutions like disabling windows update etc, installing the microsoft fix etc, all to no avail. However, I just found the culprit process that was responsible - it was none other than DNSCACHE !
First, you need to know the Process ID (PID) of the troublesome process - this is done using good ol' Task Manager (assuming you have already enabled the PID column from 'view columns' from the "view/select columns" menu bar, whilst on the PROCESSES Tab)

Using the command "Tasklist /SVC" from CMD Prompt, I was able to match the PID of the problem SVCHOST process to object that was using it - in my case, it was DNSCACHE. What I guess was occurring was that after every start-up, when trying to connect to internet, DNSCACHE 1st wanted to update - this could take quite some time in some instances, and as I've discovered, was completely un-neccessary. The fix was to STOP the DNSCACHE service, then set it to DISABLED, all within LOCAL SERVICES. Problem is now gone, and internet access is fully functional. Hope this is of some help to others with similar problem.